Open Game License

• 1. Defining The Boundaries

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  The Open Game License text begins with a specific legal promise. It states that contributors grant users a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free license to use the defined content. This agreement hinges on two distinct categories of material within any game system. The first category is Open Game Content. This term covers the actual game mechanics and includes methods, procedures, processes, and routines. It also encompasses translations and derivative works under copyright law. The second category is Product Identity. This definition lists product names, logos, trade dress, creatures, characters, stories, plots, themes, dialogue, artwork, symbols, designs, and locations. Using another company's Product Identity without permission constitutes a breach of the licensing agreement.

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• 2. The Third Edition Launch

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  Wizards of the Coast published version 1.0 of this license in 2000. Ryan Dancey spearheaded this initiative to allow third-party publishers to create compatible material for Dungeons & Dragons. The System Reference Document included basic rules such as classes, monsters, spells, and magic items. Dancey modeled the approach on open-source licenses used in the software industry. He argued that embracing these ideas would spur a huge surge in independent content creation. Academics Benoît Demil and Xavier Lecocq noted a business goal was to have competitors institutionalize a standardized rule system. They observed that if more people used the same system, players could migrate between products without learning new rules. The strategy aimed to establish d20 as a recognizable trademark similar to VHS or DVD.

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• 3. The Fourth Edition Shift

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  In June 2008, Wizards of the Coast transitioned to a new license called the Game System License. This new agreement was incompatible with the previous Open Game License. Greg Tito wrote for The Escapist in 2011 that this change took away freedoms the industry had come to expect. Andy Collins served as Design & Development Manager around the release of fourth edition. He recalled arguing hard to retain an open license like the one from the third edition. Collins stated that without such a license, Wizards risked leaving behind customers who viewed openness as part of the game. In hindsight, he wondered if it might have been better to let the original license die rather than create a restrictive alternative.

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• 4. The Leaked Draft And Backlash

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  Paizo announced a new Open RPG Creative License as a direct response to the reported changes. They stated this system-agnostic license would not be owned by Paizo or any other publisher. Additional publishers such as Kobold Press, Chaosium, Green Ronin, and Rogue Genius Games joined the development process. Free League Publishing also announced two licenses for its Year Zero game system and Dragonbane. Eric Law noted that large publishers like Paizo and Green Ronin faced pressure to update their business models quickly. Christian Hoffer wrote for ComicBook.com that the intent was to force compliance with the new agreement. Kickstarter negotiated with Wizards of the Coast to lower royalty amounts for creators using their platform.

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